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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29376414">Deliverance</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/lucdarling/pseuds/lucdarling'>lucdarling</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Stranger Things (TV 2016)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Horny Teenagers, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Relationship Reveal, Running Away, Secret Relationship</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 06:22:16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,525</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29376414</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/lucdarling/pseuds/lucdarling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Max knows there's no future for either of them in Indiana. She tries not let her daydreams cloud her judgement even as she plans on leaving someday.</p><p>Those plans become a reality when her mom catches them in her room.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Billy Hargrove/Maxine "Max" Mayfield</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>39</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Deliverance</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Here's something short and sweet-ish but I've got other pieces lined up for the coming weeks. Let me know what you think in the comment box and happy Friday!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It's not like they're doing anything too terrible. There are no body parts exposed, their clothes are still on. Billy has Max pinned against the wall, one arm over her head to better crowd her like they both prefer. They're kissing, a slow languid slide of tongues and Max’s bedroom door is open.</p><p>That's how they get caught, being dumb teenagers in lust.</p><p>"Get away from her!"</p><p>Max has never heard her mom sound so shrill. Billy takes a giant step back. His lips are still wet with their shared spit and he wipes them with the back of his hand. Max can feel her face flush, both from embarrassment and the heat that had steadily been growing as Billy's other hand had drifted down her side.</p><p>"Max, are you hurt?"</p><p>"No." She knows what her mom is worried about. "He didn't force me." </p><p>That's not exactly true. Billy had Max pressed against the wall and his tongue down her throat as soon as she had crossed the threshold. Her backpack had dropped to the floor, fast forgotten on the carpet. There was no time to cry out, not that Max would have. It's been days since they had any time for themselves and if Billy hadn't been the first to make a move, Max would have jumped him herself.</p><p>"Susan-" Billy starts cautiously, drawing the older redhead's full ire.</p><p>She points her finger at him as she speaks. "Don't you say a goddamn word, Billy. I don't want to hear anything from you." It's clear the <i>go to your room</i> is left unsaid but they all hear it hanging in the air. Billy is being told to wait and they all know what for. Max bites her lip.</p><p>Billy creeps between them and Max thinks about grabbing his hand. She doesn't touch him in a rare show of restraint, knows it will make everything worse. His ears and the back of his neck are red. What's more worrying is his silence, the way he leaves the room without a word.</p><p>Usually he’s yelling, relishes in the flinch of everyone around him and the attention. The fact that he isn’t, that he’s letting Susan send him away, screams volumes to Max. She wonders if Billy has a plan, something that doesn’t involve blood or any more tears. They’ve both cried enough in this house, for themselves and the things done to them.</p><p>"Come sit next to me," Max's mom says and takes a seat on the bed, patting the space next to her. Max peels herself away from the wall and sits as she's told.</p><p>Her mom grabs her face with one hand, slim fingers digging into her jaw harshly. Max can’t even think to move out of the way, a blink of her eyes and she is held fast.</p><p>"How long has this been going on, Maxine?" Max is stunned, both at the action and the question. Her mom shakes her when Max has to think, fingers gripping tighter. The action doesn’t loosen Max’s tongue or wet her mouth where it’s suddenly dried up. "Oh, a long time then? We've harbored a child molester and a rapist for years? Why didn’t you tell me? Where have I failed as a parent, that you think I wouldn’t believe you."</p><p>"No!" Max finally finds her voice. "He isn't. He didn't. I wanted it!" She doesn’t dare get into her mom’s failings as a parent. There are many and most begin with the wedding ring she accepted with a smile. Max knows that if Billy had touched her wrongly - if she hadn’t pushed things between them, he never would have done anything - she still wouldn’t have confided in her mom.</p><p>"You are a child, Maxine. You don't know what you want." Her mom dismisses near instantly. Her eyes are bright where they stare into Max’s own. She drops Max’s face, ignoring the face she makes to get some feeling back in her jaw. "You're going to grow up and learn that men only want one thing. Once they get that, you're of no use to them."</p><p>"Is that why Neil is on the road so often?" Max speaks before she thinks.</p><p>She blinks and her cheek stings. There's the sound of pounding footsteps and then Billy is standing in the doorway, looking furious.</p><p>"Oh," is all Max can say when she realizes her mom just slapped her. She’s never been hit before, not on purpose like this. Billy is the one in the house who always takes the punishment.</p><p>"Max," Billy says quietly. He's still glaring at her mom and when he says her name his voice is tight. His blue eyes look at her, something soft in them that even Max rarely sees.</p><p>"I'm fine." Max doesn’t pay attention to the growing heat in her cheek. She presses shaking hands to her lap and stares at her mom. "Only wants one thing, huh? Funny how Billy's stuck around the past few years. He could have moved out any time after he turned eighteen. I doubt it was just for my cunt."</p><p>They all know why he hadn’t moved out of Hawkins, or out from under Neil’s roof. Even now, no one speaks the truth aloud.</p><p>Max watches her mom’s face, how her lips thin in anger as Max taunts her with crude words. Instead of responding, Max’s mom stands up from the bed and turns to Billy.</p><p>"Get out.” She faces Billy’s anger head on, something she’s never done. “I don’t want your perversion under my roof. I doubt you’ll want to be home when your father arrives tomorrow but I will be telling him what I walked in on today.” Billy stands his ground, jerks his head at Max as he puts one hand on the doorframe to present an immovable force.</p><p>“Not leaving her here with you,” he says simply.</p><p>“Get out!” Max’s mom shrieks, clenching her hands into ineffective fists and taking a few steps towards him. Max rolls off the opposite side of the bed while she’s distracted, grabs at the handle of the bag under the bed Billy insists she keep packed. It’s been packed ever since she started developing and Billy worried about the glances that lingered from his father when Neil was a few beers in.</p><p>Max listens to her mom’s threats with one ear, a little surprised that Billy keeps on looking at her instead of letting his emotions loose. Maybe he only does that with her. Max grabs items off her bureau and pries up the loose floorboard by the nightstand for the loose cash Billy had shown her how to hide. Her skateboard is already in the Camaro’s trunk.</p><p>“I will march right down to the police station and report you, Billy Hargrove. Don’t think I won’t! How long have you been touching my daughter? I can’t believe you had the audacity. Perhaps your father should have had a firmer hand with you before the mall incident.”</p><p>Billy stays leaning against the doorway to Max’s bedroom in silence, letting her mom yell at him as Max packs up her life right behind her. His face doesn’t change from the same bored expression he wears when he’s zoning out and paying less than half attention to whatever’s going on in front of him. His blue eyes track Max as she moves around her room.</p><p>Max finally grabs her walkie-talkie; she’ll call the Party from the car just so they don’t worry about her when she doesn’t show up in class on Monday.</p><p>“I will take Maxine and we will move away.” Max’s mom says at the end with a huff. She acts like it’s the worst threat that’s going to sway Billy into changing his mind, into listening to her.</p><p>“You’re right, Susan.” Billy speaks, voice deep. He looks directly at her. “I don’t plan on being home when my old man walks in the door tomorrow. I won’t be here, and neither will Maxine. We’re both leaving, right now.”</p><p>Max takes that as her cue and hefts her bag over her shoulder. She walks past her mom, accidentally bumping her with the edge of the bag but Max doesn’t feel bad when she watches her mom stumble back.</p><p>“Running away?” Max didn’t know someone could put that much scorn into their voice let alone her mother. Her eyes are glued to Billy’s hand resting on Max’s upper arm. “With what job prospects, what money? You’ll be back before you know it, begging on the doorstep. Don’t bother.”</p><p>“Bye mom,” Max says in a whisper. “I love you.”</p><p>This isn’t how she imagined leaving Cherry Lane. Max thought it would be after a graduation party with all her friends at the end of the year, or maybe in the middle of the night if Neil had acted on those urges he tamps down. Instead, it's a sunny afternoon but Max feels like it should be raining. </p><p>The only thing that’s left unchanged from her daydreams of this moment is that right now, like in all the other ways it could have gone, Billy is by her side.</p>
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